Chicken & Vegetable Summer Medley

This is a light, healthy and delicious dinner.  Sometimes we serve this over rice, or with our indian bread, but tonight we just had it alone.  It is a great way to use up your summer vegetables.  You don't need to measure, just add as many as you want of the vegetables and chicken.  I usually always cook in portions - that way if I eat half the pan I don't feel guilty!

Chicken & Vegetable Summer Medley

1 t. chili powder

1 t. cumin

1 t. garlic salt

2 T. lime juice

2 chicken breast, chunked, or cut into strips

2 T. olive oil

1-2 zucchini, thinly sliced

1-2 yellow squash, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 red onion, chopped

½ c. salsa

¼ c. fresh cilantro

Combine chili powder, cumin, garlic salt and lime juice in medium bowl.  Add chicken and stir.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add chicken and marinade to pan and stir-fry 5-6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.  Leave juices in pan and add vegetables.  Stir–fry about 4 min. or until veggies are crisp tender.  Add back in chicken, salsa and cilantro and cook 1 more minute. 

*This is linked to Linda's Gluten Free Wednesdays.  Check out all the amazing recipes! 

Gluten Free Graham Crackers

 I usually buy the Kinnickinnick Smoreables at the store because they are convenient and edible.  I have made homemade graham crackers before but they took a lot of  time.  My friend needed some graham cracker that needed to be gluten, dairy and soy free, so I offered to make some.  I pulled out my recipe, made a few adjustments, and we are now hooked. Now that we have been spoiled by these yummy ones, it will be hard to use the ones from the store.  I have figured out some tricks that make them much easier.  #1- you need a Silpat liner when rolling out gluten free doughs.  The doughs are so fragile that it is  hard to transfer them. When using a Silpat liner-  just roll it out on the liner, then slide it onto the pan.  They work great for these, as well as sugar cookies, or any dough that needs to be rolled.

#2- refrigerate the dough, and #3- use a cut Ziploc bag on top, this keeps the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.  This might sound intense, but doing these 3 things you will have your homemade graham crackers in no time.  I usually throw together the dough the night before and then it is ready for me the next day whenever I have time.  Now, with all that said, here is the recipe!

Graham Crackers

½ c. brown sugar

½ c. millet flour

¾ c. sorghum flour

1/3 c. tapioca flour

1/3 c. potato starch

1/3 c. oat flour(if you can't do oats, just use one of your favorite flours instead)

1 t. baking powder

½ t. xanthan gum

½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

6 T. butter(Earthbalance dairy/soy free works great)

1 T. molasses

2 T. honey/agave(honey makes it tastes the most authentic, but agave is great too)

1 t. vanilla

3 T. cold water

Mix together dry ingredients.  Work in butter until crumbly.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.  Place ½ of dough on a Silpat liner(this makes it so easy because you don’t have to transfer the dough).  Take a gallon Ziploc bag and cut the sides and place on top of the dough and then roll until about 1/8-1/4” thick.  Use pizza cutter to cut into desired size, prick with fork and bake at 325 for 12-15 min.  As soon as you take them out of the oven, use the pizza cutter to go back over the lines and cut again.  Repeat with remaining dough. 

*This is linked to Linda's gluten free wednesdays, check it out!

Homemade Freezer Jam

I am a jam snob; I cannot eat store bought jam!  I was raised on homemade wheat bread with homemade jam and I continued this tradition with my own family(until I realized the pain I was causing with the bread!)  Once you have homemade jam you can't go back.  For those of you who already make your own jam, this can be your reminder.  For everyone else, I want you to know how easy freezer jam is to make.  I can make a batch of raspberry jam in 5 minutes, no joke.  There are a lot of pectin's out there and basically the box will give you the recipe.  I have tried several brands and now only use Ball, instant pectin.  The main reason is for the sugar content, Ball uses much less sugar than any other brand.  I know there are low sugar pectins out there but when I tried them my jam didn't always set up.  Use whatever you can find, or the brand you prefer and get to work.  There are only 3 steps and here they are(amounts based on Ball Instant Pectin):

Homemade Freezer Jam

1- wash and mash fruit(3 1/3 c.mashed fruit)

2- mix sugar and pectin in a bowl(1 1/3 c. sugar + 1/4 c. pectin)

3-add fruit to sugar mixture and stir for 3 minutes

Pour into containers, let sit out for 30 minutes, then freeze or refrigerate.